Argentina national under-20 football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Argentina U-20

Nickname(s)	Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue) Los Cebollitas (Little Onions) Los Pibes (The Kids)
Association	Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (Argentine Football Association)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation)
Head coach	Javier Mascherano
Captain	Agustín Giay
FIFA code	ARG
First colours Second colours
First international
Argentina 5–0 Venezuela  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 27 February 1951)
Biggest win
Argentina 8–1 United States  (São Paulo, Brazil; 4 May 1963)
Biggest defeat
Uruguay 5–1 Argentina  (Quito, Ecuador; March 8, 1981)  Brazil 4–0 Argentina  (Quito, Ecuador; March 5, 1981)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	17 (first in 1979)
Best result	Champions (1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007)
South American Youth Championship
Appearances	28 (first in 1958)
Best result	Champions (1967, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015)
Medal record FIFA U-20 World Cup Gold 1979 Japan Team Gold 1995 Qatar Team Gold 1997 Malaysia Team Gold 2001 Argentina Team Gold 2005 Netherlands Team Gold 2007 Canada Team Silver 1983 Mexico Team

The Argentina national under-20 football team represents Argentina in big football tournaments for players aged 20 or younger. These tournaments are organized by FIFA, the world's football governing body.

Argentina is super successful in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. They have won this competition a record six times! They've played in 17 of the 23 World Championship events since 1979, and they won that first one too. The team has also won the South American Youth Championship five times.

Many of Argentina's most famous football players started their careers in these youth teams. Some of these stars include Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero, Pablo Aimar, Javier Mascherano, Juan Román Riquelme, and Carlos Tevez.

History of Argentina's Youth Football Success

The First World Title in 1979

The Argentine team that won the 1979 World Youth Championship

Argentina didn't play in the very first FIFA World Youth Championship in 1977. But they showed up for the next one in Japan. The team, coached by César Luis Menotti, won the whole tournament! They played with a fantastic style, keeping the ball a lot, making all sorts of passes, and scoring many goals.

Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz were the standout players. This tournament was Maradona's first big international competition for Argentina. He played amazingly, scoring six goals and showing off his incredible dribbling and free-kick skills.

Argentina started strong in their group. They beat Indonesia 5–0, Yugoslavia 1–0, and Poland 4–1. They finished first in their group, scoring ten goals and only letting in one. On their way to the final, they beat Algeria 5–0 and then their rivals, Uruguay, 2–0. In the final match on September 7, they won 3–1 against the Soviet Union. This made them World Youth Champions for the first time! Ramón Díaz won the Golden Shoe for being the top scorer with eight goals. Maradona won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

Other important players from that team included Juan Simón and Gabriel Calderón. Many people still think this team was one of Argentina's best ever.

A Tough Decade (1981–1991)

Argentina playing against Brazil in the 1983 World Cup final, where they lost 1–0

Argentina played in the next tournament in Australia in 1981. They lost to Australia, drew with England, and beat Cameroon. But they didn't make it to the next stage.

They did much better in the 1983 championship in Mexico. They reached the final against Brazil. In the first round, Argentina crushed China 5–0, beat Austria 3–0, and won against Czechoslovakia 2–0. They finished first in their group without letting in any goals! In the quarter-finals, they beat Netherlands 2–1 and Poland 1–0 in the semi-finals. But in the final on June 19, 1983, they lost 1–0 to Brazil.

Some players from that team were goalkeeper Luis Islas and midfielder Oscar Acosta.

Argentina didn't qualify for the 1985 and 1987 tournaments. They played in the 1989 tournament in Saudi Arabia. They lost to Spain but beat Norway 2–0. Even though they lost to Iraq, they still made it to the second round. There, they were beaten 1–0 by Brazil.

For the 1991 championship in Portugal, Argentina had a very tough time. They finished last in their group with only one point. They lost to Korea and then to Portugal 3–0. In that match, three Argentine players were sent off, and there was a fight on the field. Because of this, FIFA banned the Argentine Football Association (AFA) for two years.

Some players from that team included Mauricio Pochettino and Juan Esnáider.

The Golden Years with José Pékerman

Because of the ban, Argentina couldn't play in the 1993 World Cup. The AFA decided to hire a new coach just for the youth teams, separate from the main national team coach. They chose José Pékerman, who quickly brought great results.

Argentina won the first World Cup they played with Pékerman as coach in 1995 in Qatar. They beat Netherlands and Honduras but lost to Portugal. They still made it to the quarter-finals, where they beat Cameroon 4–0. In the semi-finals, they beat Spain 3–0. Then, in the final, they got their revenge on Brazil by winning 2–0!

Famous players from this team included Juan Pablo Sorín and Leonardo Biagini.

Argentina won their third title at the 1997 championship in Malaysia. They beat Hungary and Canada but lost to Australia. They then beat England 2–1 in the next round. In the quarter-finals, they beat Brazil 2–0, and then Ireland 1–0 in the semi-finals. In the final on July 5, 1997, they beat Uruguay 2–1 to win their third championship. The team also won the FIFA Fair Play Award for their good sportsmanship.

This team had many talented players like Walter Samuel, Esteban Cambiasso, Pablo Aimar, and Juan Román Riquelme. Many of them were already playing in Argentina's top league.

The 1999 World Championship in Nigeria wasn't as good. Argentina won one game, drew one, and lost one in their group. They were then knocked out by Mexico, losing 4–1.

In 2001, Argentina hosted its first Youth Championship and won their fourth title! This was their third championship in just seven years. They started by beating Finland 1–0. Then they crushed Egypt 7–1 (with three goals by Javier Saviola) and Jamaica 5–1. In the knockout rounds, Argentina easily beat China (2–1), France (3–1), and Paraguay (5–0). They won the final against Ghana 3–0. Argentina won this title without losing a single game, scoring 27 goals and only letting in 4. Javier Saviola won both the Golden Shoe (top scorer with 11 goals) and the Golden Ball (best player). Argentina also won the FIFA Fair Play Award again.

Besides Saviola, this team had many strong players like Nicolás Burdisso, Andrés D'Alessandro, and Maxi Rodríguez. The 2001 championship was the last title won with Pékerman as coach. He helped bring great respect back to Argentine football.

Success Continues (2003–2007)

After Pékerman left, former goalkeeper Hugo Tocalli became the coach. In the 2003 championship, Argentina beat Spain 2–1, Uzbekistan 2–1, and Mali 3–1. They finished first in their group. They then beat Egypt 2–1 and United States 2–1. But they lost to Brazil 1–0 in the semi-finals and finished fourth after losing to Colombia. Fernando Cavenaghi was the top scorer with 4 goals.

In 2005, Francisco Ferraro became the coach, and Argentina won its fifth title at the World championship in the Netherlands. They lost their first game to the United States but then beat Egypt (2–1) and Germany (1–0) to move on. They then beat Colombia (2–1), Spain (3–1), and Brazil (2–1) to reach the final. On July 2, 2005, Argentina beat Nigeria 2–1 in the final. Both goals were scored by Lionel Messi from penalty kicks. Messi was the team's leader and played incredibly well, winning both the top scorer and best player awards.

Besides Messi, other important players on the 2005 team were Oscar Ustari, Ezequiel Garay, Fernando Gago, and Sergio Agüero.

Two years later, the team won its second title in a row at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. After a draw with the Czech Republic, Argentina crushed Panama 6–0 and beat North Korea 1–0. In the knockout stage, they beat Poland (3–1), Mexico (1–0), and Chile (3–0) to reach the final. On July 22, Argentina won its sixth title by defeating the Czechs 3–1. Sergio Agüero was the top scorer with six goals and also won the Golden Ball as the best player. Other notable players were Sergio Romero, Éver Banega, and Ángel Di María.

Recent Challenges (Since 2009)

Argentina's amazing success didn't continue in the following U-20 World Cups. The team didn't qualify twice (2009, 2013) and was knocked out in the group stage two times (2015, 2017).

Individual Awards for Argentina U-20 Players

Argentine players have won many special awards at the FIFA World Youth Cups.

Current Squad

• The following players were chosen for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
• Match dates: 20 May – 26 May 2023

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1GK	Federico Gomes Gerth	(2004-03-05)5 March 2004 (aged 19)	Tigre
2	2DF	Lautaro Di Lollo	(2004-03-10)10 March 2004 (aged 19)	Boca Juniors
3	2DF	Valentín Barco	(2004-07-23)23 July 2004 (aged 18)	Boca Juniors
4	2DF	Agustín Giay	(2004-01-16)16 January 2004 (aged 19)	San Lorenzo
5	3MF	Federico Redondo	(2003-01-18)18 January 2003 (aged 20)	Inter Miami
6	2DF	Valentín Gómez	(2003-06-26)26 June 2003 (aged 19)	Vélez Sarsfield
7	4FW	Juan Gauto	(2004-06-02)2 June 2004 (aged 18)	Basel
8	3MF	Máximo Perrone	(2003-01-07)7 January 2003 (aged 20)	Las Palmas
9	4FW	Alejo Véliz	(2003-09-19)19 September 2003 (aged 19)	Tottenham Hotspur
10	3MF	Valentín Carboni	(2005-03-05)5 March 2005 (aged 18)	Monza
11	4FW	Matías Soulé	(2003-04-15)15 April 2003 (aged 20)	Frosinone
12	1GK	Lucas Lavagnino	(2004-08-22)22 August 2004 (aged 18)	River Plate
13	2DF	Tomás Avilés	(2004-02-03)3 February 2004 (aged 19)	Inter Miami
14	3MF	Mateo Tanlongo	(2003-08-12)12 August 2003 (aged 19)	Copenhagen
15	2DF	Román Vega	(2004-01-01)1 January 2004 (aged 19)	Argentinos Juniors
16	4FW	Luka Romero	(2004-11-18)18 November 2004 (aged 18)	Milan
17	1GK	Nicolás Cláa	(2004-08-05)5 August 2004 (aged 18)	Lanús
18	4FW	Brian Aguirre	(2003-01-06)6 January 2003 (aged 20)	Newell's Old Boys
19	3MF	Gino Infantino	(2003-05-19)19 May 2003 (aged 20)	Fiorentina
20	3MF	Ignacio Miramón	(2003-06-12)12 June 2003 (aged 19)	Lille
21	4FW	Ignacio Maestro Puch	(2003-08-13)13 August 2003 (aged 19)	Atlético Tucumán

Top Goalscorers

Lionel Messi is the all-time top goalscorer of Argentina U-20 national team with 14 goals

Here are the players who have scored the most goals for the Argentina U-20 national team:

Honours

The Argentina U-20 team has won many titles and awards:

• FIFA U-20 World Cup
  • Champions (6): 1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007
  • Runners-up (1): 1983
• South American Youth Championship|South American Championship U-20
  • Champions (5): 1967, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015
  • Runners-up (7): 1958, 1979, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2019
  • Third Place (8): 1971, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 2005, 2011
• Pan American Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2003
• Toulon Tournament
  • Champions (2): 1975, 1998
  • Runners-up (2): 1983, 1999
  • Third Place (2): 2003, 2009
• Granatkin Memorial
  • Champions (1): 2019

See Also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol sub-20 de Argentina para niños

• Argentina national football team
• Argentina national futsal team
• Argentina Olympic football team
• Argentina national under-17 football team
• Argentina national under-15 football team